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More copies of this ISBN:This title in other formats:A Dangerous Place: California's Unsettling Fateby Marc Reisner
Synopses & ReviewsPublisher Comments:One in two people living west of the one hundredth meridian resides in California. Crammed into the San Francisco Bay area and the Los Angeles basin is a population greater than that of Texas. Both of these drought-prone regions need to import water over improbable distances, but reliance on imported water is not their Achilles' heel; what is, is the fact that each area sits astride one of the most violently active seismic zones in the world. A Dangerous Place is both a compelling chronicle of the human eruption of development and progress that have created "the great exception" over the last 150 years, and a history of the natural subterranean upheavals that threaten that human achievement. It concludes with a chillingly realistic depiction of the impact an earthquake would have on the Hayward fault, which runs from San Francisco to San Jose ("sixty of the most populous, industrialized, infrastructure-dependent, economically valuable miles in the United States"). Here is subject and writer perfectly matched, in a narrative that harnesses fact and a gloriously inventive intellect. A Dangerous Place is a riveting parable of a civilization's rise and fall. And it is, as well, the coda to the brilliant career of the late Marc Reisner. Synopsis:From the author "Cadillac Desert"--the acclaimed saga of water and the American West--comes a vision of the future that California cannot escape.
Synopsis:Writing with a signature command of his subject and with compelling resonance, Marc Reisner leads us through California's improbable rise from a largely desert land to the most populated state in the nation, fueled by an economic engine more productive than all of Africa. Reisner believes that the success of this last great desert civilization hinges on California's denial of its own inescapable fate: Both the Los Angeles and San Francisco Bay areas sit astride two of the most violently seismic zones on the planet. The earthquakes that have already rocked California were, according to Reisner, a mere prologue to a future cataclysm that will result in immense destruction. Concluding with a hypothetical but chillingly realistic description of what such a disaster would look like, A Dangerous Place mixes science, history, and cultural commentary in a haunting work of profound importance. Synopsis:"If you are anxious about the safety of American cities, this book may give you a nervous breakdown. Reisner was an uncanny visionary and his testament is this terrifying warning note. It is not for the faint of heart."--Mike Davis ("City of Quartz" and "Ecology of Fear").
About the AuthorMarc Reisner worked for many years at the Natural Resources Defense Council. His Cadillac Desert was a National Book Critics Circle Award nominee. He died in 2000. What Our Readers Are SayingBe the first to add a comment for a chance to win!Product Details
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